


Stand Down

by MusicLover6661



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 14:01:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15269016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicLover6661/pseuds/MusicLover6661





	1. Chapter 1

I wasn’t a superhero, or an ex assassin.  I was just me.  Someone that was close with everyone in the compound.  I had accidentally run into Steve when he was trying to be incognito.  He had offered to buy me coffee as an apology, who was I to turn him down?  The man was making me swoon with a simple smile and a coffee.  I was smitten within the first hour and it was becoming increasingly hard to hide my feelings.  He was off on missions and I was wandering around with nothing better to do.  He was the one to ask me to move in, saying he’d feel better if I was somewhere safer.  Tony didn’t argue with him either, there was really no point.  I wasn’t spending any of my time at my apartment anymore, and working for Tony it made my life easier.

Until I put myself too much into my work.  Steve noticed how late I was staying up to finish things, to make sure everything was perfect.  It wasn’t that I was afraid Tony would be angry if I put things off, it was my perfectionism.  Steve was worried about my health, saying I needed to get sleep at night before I burnt myself out.  Of course I assured him I was fine, until I wasn’t.  I wasn’t entirely sure when everything had gone awry.

He was gone for a long mission, almost three weeks.  I hid myself in my room when I wasn’t working, not bothering to leave unless I had to.  I didn’t want to leave my room, it felt wrong without him around to keep me company when I needed it most.

Tony had been the one to find me in the kitchen, I had passed out from exhaustion, my body unable to keep going.  Steve had been notified of what happened, assured that I would be alright after a few days of rest.  And without Steve to order me around, I spent the rest of my time in bed.  He had come back from the mission a little bruised up, but nothing too serious.

“I knew this was gonna happen” He had showered and changed into a pair of pajamas before heading down to my room.  
“I’m fine Steve, I just forgot to eat is all” I shrugged and pulled my legs up so he could sit down at the end of the bed.  
“You passed out in the kitchen at five in the morning, you know this isn’t healthy” Steve frowned, his hand resting against my calf.

I didn’t know what to say to him, what could I say that wouldn’t make me look like a complete moron?  'Oh by the way I know you can’t love me the way I love you so I work myself to the point of passing out now’.  Yeah, that wasn’t going to work. He’d push himself further away from me to make sure that I didn’t hurt myself again.

And that’s exactly what he did.  He had been talking with Natasha about dating.  Rather she was trying to convince him to go on a date, he wasn’t having it.  Said he was too busy saving the world to focus on a relationship.

“Oh come on Rogers, there’s gotta be someone that catches your eye” She was smirking at him, he rolled his eyes and plopped down into the chair across from her.  
“Even if there was, I wouldn’t have the time for them” Steve was too focused on being a hero rather than being a person.  
“So there’s no one at all?” Her eyes flicked over to me for half a second.  Unfortunately not long enough for Steve to notice.  
“No, there isn’t anyone” His voice was uneven.  There was someone, it just wasn’t someone he was willing to admit.

It wasn’t me.

***    
There was mayhem everywhere, they were trying to find Steve and Nat, saying they were criminals to SHIELD.  It didn’t make much sense, since when had they become criminals?  The last time I had seen either of them was before they left for a mission, and that was almost two weeks ago.

“I don’t know what they expect from us, we’ve told them the same thing every single time” Tony was pacing his lab, rolling his eyes as another call came in.  
“They assume we know where they are all the time, happens when you’re a superhero” I sipped my coffee slowly, letting the steaming drink warm my throat.

I had been right, it was another agent calling about Steve and Nat.  They were annoyed with the same exact answer as before, what exactly did they expect?  Even if we had known where they were no one was going to say where they were.

“I’ve told you people the same thing time and time again!  If I knew where he was we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now” Tony stopped to let the other person speak, his expression turned to one of pure rage.  
“It doesn’t matter!  I haven’t fucking seen them!” Tony ended the call and threw himself into the chair, groaning as the phone began to ring.  
“Ignore it, they’re just gonna keep calling until they get an answer they want” I had been typing out emails for him since he was stuck dealing with the shit show that was SHIELD.

He nodded and held his hands over his face, sighing as the room fell silent.  My mind fell back to Steve, what kind of trouble had he gotten into?  The man was the poster child for all that was good and yet this was going on?

“Sir, you have a call from an unknown number” Both Tony and I perked up at FRIDAY’S voice, whoever was calling didn’t want to be traced.  
“You’ve reached the Stark residence” Tony was dangerously close to the screen, breaths quick and shallow.  
“Tony, I’m sure you’ve seen the news lately.  I need you to do something for me” It was Nat, something was wrong with this.

He furrowed his brow, confusion washing over his features slowly.  He didn’t try and trace the call to find out where they were, it wasn’t safe.

“What the hell is going on?  I’ve had more SHIELD agents call me in the last twenty four hours than I have in the last five years” I couldn’t help but giggle, that was a little bit of a dramatic.  
“Shit, is Y/N with you?  Tony you have to get her somewhere safe, both of you need to” Nat’s voice cut off for a moment.

The sound of gunfire and cars crashing came through suddenly before the line was cut off.  What the hell was going on?

“You heard the woman” Tony didn’t waste any time in getting his things together.

My mind raced as I recalled the phone call.  Something was definitely wrong, and Tony was doing his very best to hide it from me.

Tony had his bags packed and in the car before I had even packed my own bag.  He didn’t wait for me to finish packing before heading down to the car, getting inside quickly.  My heart was racing, stay calm, everything is gonna be just fine.

“He’s gonna take you up north until everything settles down, you let me know the moment you get there” I nodded and held onto his arm, there was something going on and no one was going to tell me what.

The drive was quiet, I wasn’t exactly sure if I wanted to start a conversation with the driver, and it seemed the feeling was mutual.  He was only doing his job, drop me off wherever Tony said and ask no questions.  My mind kept going back to Steve and Nat.  Were they alright?  Or would I hear on the news that Captain America was killed?

He pulled off of the main road, following a street that looked like it lead to a dead end.  I didn’t expect any less from Tony.

“Don’t forget to let him know that we-” He hit the brakes hard, yelling at whoever was standing in front of the car.

I looked through the windshield, the person’s face was covered by a mask.  The only thing I could see were his eyes, they were so empty.  Hell the only reason I could even see him was because of the headlights from the car.  He wasn’t moving, motionless as he watched us inside the car.  If I wasn’t startled from the car braking before, I was sure scared as shit now. His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer slowly, his left arm was glinting in the dim light.  Was his arm made of…metal?

“Get us out of here!” I unbuckled myself and scooted to the middle seat, get away from the doors, get away from whoever the hell this man was.  
“I’m trying!” The driver put the car in reverse a moment too late.

The man had ripped the driver side door clean off, yanking the man from the car.  The only sound I could hear were his screams.  I wanted to scream, to cry, to do anything. Except I couldn’t.  He was staring at me, watching my every move. There was no escape from this, whoever he was.  He wanted me dead.

“Please don’t hurt me, I’m just an assistant” I couldn’t calm my heart, tears were streaming down my cheeks.

He didn’t move, hands clenching into tight fists by his sides.  I could see the gun on his hip, I’m definitely going to die.

“I’m begging you! Please!” I screamed in pain as he grabbed my hair and pulled me roughly out of the car.  
“You’re my mission” Before I could utter another word, I was knocked out cold.

The ground was cold and hard beneath me as I started to wake up, wherever I was wasn’t somewhere safe.  There were two guards standing in front of the door, guns held close to their chests as they watched the hallway.  It reminded me of a jail cell, but it wasn’t big enough to be one.  The room I was currently locked inside felt more like a broom closet, and I was being generous.

“She’s finally awake, I was beginning to think she wasn’t going to get up for a while” The man was smirking over at me, his suit looked expensive.  Why did he look so familiar?  
“Sir, he’s ready for you” There was a smaller gentleman standing next to him, clipboard held flush to his chest.  
“I’ll be there in a moment, make sure he doesn’t have an outburst like last time” He looked over at the boy for a second before his eyes were back on me.

I could feel my skin crawl as if a thousand bugs were burrowing into my skin.  Oh god, Tony must’ve been panicking!  It had to be of been hours since I was taken, and with the tech he had in the car, he must’ve been notified of what happened.

“She’s with the Captain, she doesn’t leave your sight whatsoever.  Not unless the soldier takes her somewhere” He looked at the two guards before stepping away.  His footsteps echoed down the hall.

Was he talking about Steve?  And who the hell was the soldier?  The guy who forcibly removed me from the car last night?  God I hoped not, he was ready to break my neck without a second thought.  The room felt stuffy, almost as if the walls were closing in on me.  God I hoped Steve was alright.

 **Steve’s P.O.V**  
  
Tony hadn’t been able to locate her, her phone was still sitting inside the car when we arrived.  The door was ripped off the car, the driver was nowhere in sight.  Whoever had this done knew what they were doing, and they did it effortlessly.

“He knew she was going to be alone” It had to of been Bucky.  No one else could pull this off so easily.  
“We’ll find her Steve, I’m sure Tony can find out where she is” Nat was still looking over the car. There were footprints in the dirt that lead into the woods before they were gone.  
“How could I be so stupid, who knows what else they did to her” My throat tightened as images flashed through my mind.

They would torture her until she gave up any information on us, only she didn’t know a lot.  So they’d assume she was lying and up the ante until she was begging.  Pleading with them to stop.

“Cap, Romanoff, I think you two need to see this” Tony’s voice came over the comms before our phones were buzzing.

They were live streaming her, she looked utterly terrified in the room, arms and face bloody as she cried.  They had already started the torture, that wasn’t going to give us much more time to find her.  Bucky was standing in the doorway, his back facing the camera as he stalked over to her, her horrified cries would haunt my memories for a while.

“Please!  Don’t!” She grabbed the arm he was gripping her throat with, determined to get answers by any means necessary.  
“That’s enough soldier, set her down” The voice had a thick accent, not someone I recognized.

He dropped her down onto the floor, the plates in his arm shifted as he turned to face the door where the voice came from.

“Stand down soldier” The voice was panicked, it was clear in their tone.  
“I said stand down” Two guards raced into the room, guns pointed at him.

The stream cut off suddenly, Natasha was still watching over my shoulder.

“Somethings not right” She dialed Tony’s number, not having to wait before he answered.  
“I traced the stream, they’re a mile from your location” That made things a little easier for us.

Nat and I didn’t waste another moment before running over to the car, she had forgone the seatbelt in favor of speeding down the dirt road.  The only light was the moon high in the sky and our headlights.  We were running out of time, Bucky was a machine, and if we got there too late.

“You can’t think like that Steve, she’s stronger than you give her credit for” Nat took a hard right before the truck stopped in front of a cabin.

There were lights on, but nothing like if there were a lot of people inside.  Smoke was billowing out of the chimney.  They were inside, waiting for us to run inside.

Nat and I geared up, keeping our weapons hidden before sneaking up the cabin. There were only two voices, one of them I recognized as Y/N.  She was laughing softly, a blanket being pulled over her frame.  Nat climbed up the side of the cabin, sliding open the window that was propped open partially already.  And I thought I was the agile one of the group.

**Y/N’s P.O.V**

Bucky was tending to the fire, his back tense as he moved the logs around to keep the fire going.  It was warming the entire living room, though I’m sure with Tony’s tech it didn’t need to.

“You can leave it alone, it’ll die faster if you keep messing with it” I pushed my blanket back and gestured him over.  He rolled his eyes and crawled back onto the couch.  
“I’m just trying to make sure you’re warm enough” Bucky plopped down onto the couch and wrapped his arm around my waist.

It was strange how easily he had changed.  One minute he was ready to kill me, and the next he was determined to protect me.  I still wasn’t too sure as to why.

“Why did you take me away from there?” I looked up at him slowly, he was always on edge.  Ready for an attack that wasn’t going to come.  
“You remind me of someone from my past, and I couldn’t let them hurt you anymore.  It was like a switch turned on in my brain” Bucky’s eyes were on me then, there was an emotion I couldn’t quite place.  
“What if they come looking for you?” I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath my fingers.  
“I’ll make sure you’re safe, I promise” Bucky’s eyes flicked from my lips back to my eyes.

My breath hitched in my throat, this wasn’t how I expected things to go after I was almost certain he was going to murder me.  A floorboard creaked above our heads, Bucky jerked back, eyes dark as he pushed up form the couch.  
  
“I’m sure it was nothing, it was pretty windy earlier” I was more afraid of Bucky leaving me alone than I was of someone being inside the house.  
“It wasn’t the wind doll, just stay here” Bucky reached under the couch and grabbed his knife, stalking over to the doorway slowly.

The hairs on my arms were standing on edge as Bucky pressed himself against the wall, listening intently to whatever was inside.  Bucky reached around the corner swiftly, his hand gripping onto the person’s throat hard enough to break their neck.

“Steve!” I threw my legs over the couch and ran between the two men, pushing Bucky away from him.  
“You know him?” Bucky looked as if he was fighting an internal battle within himself.  
“Hes my friend, you two used to be best friends” Steve was coughing harshly, struggling to catch his breath.  
“I don’t..” Bucky trailed off, his hands shaking by his sides.  
“James, look at me” I cupped his face, bringing his gaze back down to my face.

He was panicking, eyes wide with realization and fear.  Something had happened between them, that I wasn’t aware of.  Bucky closed his eyes slowly, his forehead resting against mine.

“I attacked him in the city, before I found you” Bucky chuckled, his tone void of any emotion.  
“They wanted you to attack him James, you know this” I reached up and tangled my fingers into his hair.

Natasha was helping Steve catch his breath, Bucky’s metal hand was one of the strongest things I had seen in all my years.  He took out all of the guards without so much as a scratch on himself, I wasn’t looking so healthy though.

“Yes, I know” Bucky didn’t step back, instead his arms wrapped around my waist gently, pulling me flush to his chest.  
“They have some questions, let’s go sit down and talk” I knew Bucky was more on edge now, Steve was bringing up more memories.

Steve and Nat waited til Bucky and I were sitting on the couch before they came inside.

“How the hell did you manage this? The last time I saw him he was trying to murder us” Nat was amazed at how calm Bucky was.  
“I remind him of someone from his past, someone happy” Bucky’s arm had slid around my waist, there was almost no space between our bodies.  
“You should remember who Stevie” Bucky’s tone was light, it shocked Steve.  
“Your sister, I can’t believe I never saw it before” Steve chuckled and rubbed his face, sighing more to himself.

The room fell silent for a few moments before Nat began to throw questions at Bucky and I.  Who had he been working for, and how were we going to take them down.  SHIELD had been compromised and were being taken over from the inside, and they needed to be taken care of.  Steve had the resources to get everything done, but there were a few things he needed to do first.

“I just need to know you’re gonna be safe if we leave” Steve had suited up, shield placed on his back.  
“I’ll keep her safe” Bucky hadn’t moved form where we standing.

Nat and Steve left with a quick goodbye, promising to come get us when things cooled down and it was finally safe.

“I’m kind of hoping they stay away a little longer” Bucky’s fingers were tracing along the skin of my back slowly.  
“Oh?  Why’s that?” I wanted to prop myself up and watch the smirk on his face get wider, but I was too relaxed.  
“Cause I like it here, it’s nice and calm” Bucky yawned softly, resting back against the couch.

I nodded and cuddled further into his chest, calm was a good thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky’s snores were anything but bothersome.  It was oddly comforting hearing him so relaxed in the bed.  He didn’t have a care in the world, drifting off into a restful sleep while I laid awake beside him.  I didn’t want to wake him though, he looked like he needed the sleep a lot more than I did.  I was just paranoid that someone was going to break in.  If Steve had been able to then anyone could.  The defense system had been on the fritz.  Nat had promised they would call with any news update, and so far there was nothing.

The news hadn’t had anything eventful either.  No calls or texts from Tony.  It was complete radio silence and it was driving me insane.

Bucky suddenly shifted beside me, his hand wrapping around my throat with a strength I wasn’t expecting. My back pressed against the bed harshly, lungs struggling to take in any air as I looked at the man above me.  His eyes were empty, the same expression he had when he had first captured me.  He was grumbling under his breath in Russian, I couldn’t understand any of his words before everything around me turned black.

It was the same room as before, except this time I could see Bucky staring over at me, the muzzle was covering most of his face again.  He was their machine, unstoppable. If Steve had gone back to the cabin he would notice we were gone. He’d be so worried, and Nat.  There was no way in hell they weren’t going to send out people to find me, even if it wasn’t Steve himself.

“How’d you manage to find the Captain?” The man from before was standing in the doorway, a hand pressing atop Bucky’s shoulder.  
“He found me actually, I don’t know where he went” I scurried away as Bucky stood up.  No.  The Winter Soldier.  That was what Nat had called him before.  
“That’s too bad, you see we’ve been looking for him and he just seems to keep slipping through our fingers” He chuckled and stepped closer to me, Bucky staying a step ahead of him the whole time.  
“I don’t know where he is, I’m sorry” Tears were streaming down my cheeks.  
“No worry, he’ll come to you soon enough” He smiled and left the cell, leaving Bucky and I alone.

Bucky stepped over and yanked me from the floor, his grip was unrelenting as he dragged me out into the hallway.  He followed the man from before down to an open room, there was a camera pointing at a chair in the middle of the room.

“Please!  Don’t do this!” I struggled against Bucky’s grasp, he only growled as his fingers tightened around my arm.  
“It’s the only way to get through to them” He gestured for Bucky to tie me to the chair.  He did so without wasting a single second.

The rope cut harshly into my skin, drawing blood as I tried to free my hands to no avail.  The red light was blinking on the camera, they wanted everyone to see what was happening.  Bucky was backed into a corner, watching me like a hawk.

“Should’ve cooperated with us before, this wouldn’t be happening right now” With that he left, leaving Bucky and I alone in the room.  
“Soldat, begin” What the hell did that mean?

Bucky walked over to a table picking up a knife.  Jesus, they weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted, even if it meant killing me in the process.  The blade traced along my arms slowly, teasing almost.  I knew better than to beg though, he wanted me to open my mouth, to plead with him.  Whoever was controlling him knew what to do in cases like this, and I refused to be a part of the game.  He knelt down slightly, eyes level with my own as the knife grazed the edge of my shirt.  That was too close for comfort.  No one was going to hear my screams when he sunk the knife into my chest, to know what was happening inside this room.

“They’re all watching, I’m sure the Captain is seething with anger right now” The voice was surrounding me, though I couldn’t take my eyes off of Bucky.  
“Go to hell you bastard” I spat at the floor, bracing myself for the pain that was to come.

Bucky’s fist collided with my cheek, almost knocking me unconscious.  Blood was pooling into my mouth, dripping down onto my shirt.  This was only the beginning, things weren’t going to get any better for me.

 **Steve’s P.O.V**    
 **Avengers Compound**  
  
“He’s going to kill her Tony, we need to find them” I couldn’t handle this anymore, they had been privately broadcasting her directly to the compound.    
“I’m doing my best to find her Rogers, wherever they’re hiding her is under a lot more security than I was hoping for” Tony was looking for any opening, and so far there had been none.  
“She’s struggling to breathe, you can see it in the way her chest is shuttering” Nat was paying close attention to the video.  
“He hasn’t gone after her chest though, are you saying they’ve been shutting this off when we aren’t paying attention?” Tony had abandon his computer to face us.  
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, they want us to find her so they can get to Steve.  They’re willing to break her ribs without us seeing so she looks even worse the next time we see her.  Steve’s right.  They’re going to kill her” I glanced between Nat and Tony.  

It was now or never, we had a limited opportunity to find her and get her out of there safely, now all Tony needed to do was actually find her.

“She’s close by, but they’re heavily guarded.  Can you guys handle them?” Tony was typing away, eyes focused on his work.  
“We have no choice” I didn’t wait for Nat to follow me, I was going to find her.

**Y/N’s P.O.V**

Everything hurt.  Bucky had broken at least four of my ribs, and I had more cuts along my body than I was able to handle.  He hadn’t stopped once, his hands would wrap around my throat until I was on the verge of passing out, only to slip down and break another bone.

The clothes I wore were tattered and bloody.  I wasn’t sure where the blood ended and my shirt began, it was all a mess.  They kept the bruising hidden though, the camera never recorded the sounds of my bones breaking.

  
“They’re on there way sir” Rat spoke softly to Pierce.  His name wasn’t actually Rat, but it’s what I preferred to call him.  He reminded me of a rat, acted like one too.  
“It’s about time, I was beginning to think they forgot about her” Pierce was looking over at me, that stupid smug grin still on his face.  
“How could they?  Cap is very fond of her from what I’ve gathered” That was a lie, Steve was my friend and nothing more.  
“Her knight in shining armor come to rescue her, how cute” Pierce scoffed, turning to face Brock, don’t be an idiot and fall into their trap Steve.

Bucky stepped over to me once again, knife pressing against my throat.  I couldn’t hold back the whimper as I panicked.  The blade was sharp enough to cut apart a single strand of hair down the middle.  If he wanted to murder me, now was the time.

“Scream for them, they’ve been waiting for it” Brock was standing behind the camera, arms crossed over his chest.  His smirk was so sinister, so utterly terrifying.  
“Go to hell Rumlow” I gritted my teeth as the blade was pressed harder, a small trickle of blood running down to my chest.  
“Uh uh, that isn’t something nice to say to me now is it?” He was still watching me, watching Bucky tear me apart piece by piece.

It was a game to them, they didn’t care how disposable I was, once Steve was in the building I would be executed.  They would find my body ice cold, a bullet wound to the head as I bled out onto the floor.  There was nothing any of them could do, not if they wanted to stop the horrors around me from continuing.

“Shit, we’ve got more company” There were hordes of people running passed the room, pulling Brock out of his sick daydream.  
“Keep an eye on her” Brock left quickly, the door locking behind him as he followed everyone to where the commotion was happening.

Bucky had relaxed his posture, the knife placed snug on his hip.  He was still on guard though, eyes tracing the room for any sign of movement.  No one was going to get passed him, damn super soldier.

The explosions could be heard all around the room, nearly blowing out my ear drums as Bucky was thrown back against the wall.  He was startled for a few seconds before regaining his composure, eyes locked on the door that was not barely hanging on.  The room filled with smoke, blinding and choking me.  I wasn’t sure about Bucky though, he was all but silent next to me.

I could faintly make out the sounds of someone struggling before the ropes were cut away.  I couldn’t move though, I was pretty sure most of the bones in one of my legs were broken.  And with my ribs also being shattered I wouldn’t be able to breathe properly.  A pair of arms scooped me up before running out of the room, yelling at whoever they were with.

“She’s going to need medical attention immediately, get the quinjet ready!” That voice sounded so familiar, was it Steve?  
“Get her out of here before they notice she’s missing, I’ll deal with him” Nat was running along side us, her eyes glancing back every few steps.

Another explosion went off, Steve toppled to the ground, I didn’t make it much farther.  My body was screaming in agony, wanting nothing more than for death to pull me under.  Why couldn’t I just die?  Get all of this pain and torture over with.

“Steve!” Nat’s voice was panicked, she was no longer calm.  
“Get her out of here!  I’ll keep him at bay for as long as I can” Steve pushed himself up and ran towards the cloud of smoke.

Nat groaned and pulled me up slowly. This wasn’t going to work, she needed Steve to get me out safely. The sounds gradually began to get louder around me until it was the only thing I could focus on.  The heat from the fires licked at my skin, sweat breaking out all over my body as Nat struggled to carry me up to the roof.  Steve was nowhere to be found, and neither was Bucky.

“I’m going to have to ask you to put her down before things get messy” Brock was standing in front of us, gun held at the back of Nat’s head.  
“How’d I know it was you” She wasn’t going to give up that easily, but we were limited with our options.  
“Put the girl down and I won’t put a bullet in your head” The gun pressed harder to her head, Brock mere inches away from us both.

A scream echoed throughout the hall, I wasn’t sure whose it was, and I was too afraid to even ask.  Nat took that as her opportunity to knock the gun out of his hand.  I tried to break my fall against the wall, only it made it even worse on me.  I had definitely broken another rib, there was no doubt in my mind I had.  Nat kept her grip tight on Brock’s wrists, forcing his arms away as he reached for her throat.

Even with all their training they were too equally matched to one another.  He was tiring a lot faster than her, which would be a good thing if we weren’t still scared to face Bucky as well.

Loud footsteps echoed in the hall before stopping by us.  I looked up slowly, fear overtaking all of my senses as I locked eyes with Bucky.  He was clutching his right arm, was his scream the one I had heard earlier?  Where was Steve?  Was he hurt?  Nat knocked Brock out before turning to face Bucky, her eyes wide with fear.  She wasn’t ready to face the soldier, even if he had one bad arm at the moment.

“Steve!  Where the hell are you?” Nat was circling Bucky, keeping him as far away from where I was as she could.  
“Taken care of” Bucky’s voice was gruff, hand reaching for the knife that had been sitting on his hip.  
“Nat!  Get out of here!” I tried to push myself off the ground, screaming out in pain as I clutched my side.  
“I’m not leaving without you, neither is Steve” I furrowed my brow, Steve was probably knocked out cold!

Bucky’s eyes were cold as he lunged for Nat, hand wrapping around her throat as he caught the knife with his right arm.  Shit.  I forgot his body healed faster with the serum.

“Don’t!” I pushed up against the wall, panting with exertion as I stood up.  
“Kill me instead, please” I was risking everything in this moment, Bucky wouldn’t waste a second in ending my life.

Bucky’s grip on Nat’s throat tightened before he dropped her onto the floor, he was standing before me in three long strides.  My heart was pounding against my ribs, you asked for this, don’t stop him from doing what you asked.

“I suggest you rethink your plan of action James” Steve stepped over to us, he was covered in soot and rubble.  
“She’s my mission” His voice was muffled due to the muzzle, but it still terrified me.  
“You don’t need to do this, just stop to think about what you’re doing” Steve was inching himself closer, making sure Bucky didn’t notice.

Bucky’s eyes narrowed as he glanced over at Steve, it was a second too late.  Steve’s shield collided with Bucky’s head, his body hitting the ground with a rag doll.  Nat walked over to us, looking over Bucky before her eyes landed on me.

“Let’s get out of here before he wakes up” I nodded along with Steve.  Anywhere was better than here.

***  

“You’re still healing!  Go sit down!” Steve was staring me down, plate held above his head as he waited for me to head over to the kitchen table.  
“I’m fine Steve!  Now give me my plate so I can go sit with Buck, please” I pouted up at him, reaching for the plate that was much too high for my liking.  
“I’ll bring it over, now go sit” Steve waited until I gave in and walked over, albeit  _extremely_  slow, to the couch before he gave in.

He had hidden us out in the cabin as before, asking Tony to revamp the security so we didn’t have anymore situations like the one before. It was hard getting used to living with Bucky, the memories would never go away.  We would be eating dinner and he’d have a knife in his hand, triggering a horrific memory for me.

“I still can’t believe you two, it’s been months and yet you refuse to leave this place” Nat shook her head, digging into her own plate of food.  
“It’s kind of hard to get anywhere when you have six broken ribs, and a broken femur” I nodded at her knowingly, she simply rolled her eyes.  
“I think you just like being cooped up with him all the time, don’t deny it” Nat smirked at me before busying herself with eating once again.

I wanted to roll my eyes and deny every accusation thrown at me, except I couldn’t truly deny it.  I had liked having Bucky around.  He had nightmares every night, same as I had.  He would crawl into my bed with tears in his eyes, whispering how sorry he was.  I couldn’t be angry with the man anymore, he was someone different.

So I helped him work through everything, to become someone that wasn’t controlled by those horrendous people.  To become the man I knew he was deep down inside.  It was going to take a lot longer than a few months, and I was willing to work until we were both happy.  Even if it took me the rest of my life, I’d spend it with him by my side.  No matter what.


End file.
